Mujuru aides in ugly brawl

HARARE - Simmering tensions within former Vice President Joice Mujuru’s struggling National People’s Party (NPP) boiled over yesterday when rash party spokesperson, Jealousy Mawarire, viciously attacked and then allegedly threatened to kill her personal spin doctor, Gift Nyandoro, in incredible scenes which shocked guests at a Harare hotel.

The two NPP comrades-turned-enemies clashed over a reckless statement which was penned by Mawarire at the weekend, which stunned the country’s opposition movement — as it ran against the spirit of the planned grand coalition which is set to take on President Robert Mugabe and his warring Zanu PF in next year’s elections.

In the poorly-conceived statement, Mawarire launched an astonishing attack on opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, effectively describing him as “power drunk” — hugely damaging sentiments which Nyandoro subsequently tried to mitigate by saying these were Mawarire’s personal views and not NPP’s, as was his democratic right.

The battered Nyandoro told the Daily News yesterday that he had been horrified by Mawarire’s thuggish behaviour, which to compound Nyandoro’s pain, had come as the respected lawyer was also making burial arrangements for his recently-deceased mother.

He said he had been ambushed by his raving mad colleague after he made a quick “nature call” at a hotel in the avenues area, whereupon Mawarire had suddenly emerged and confronted him over a story which appeared in a local daily yesterday in which Nyandoro had gently pooh-poohed Mawarire’s clanger on Tsvangirai.

“I had just got into town, returning from Sanyati where I lost my mother, and I was running around making funeral arrangements. I wanted to use the toilet and so I went to the hotel.

“Jealousy appeared from nowhere and accused me of contradicting him. We exchanged words, and I was confused because I did not understand the basis of his rants.

“As far as I am aware, I am not sure of any party position attacking any opposition leader over the formation of a grand coalition. I was stunned.

“He also accused me of trying to make sure that he (Mawarire) does not get elected in the party’s top six. He was charging towards me saying he wanted to shoot me,” the shaken Nyandoro told the Daily News.

“A light-skinned and dreadlocked woman, whom I presumed to be his wife, tried to restrain him. He then went to his car . . . however, he did not take his gun.

“He returned, whereupon he kicked me on the kneecap. I fell and hit a pavement. He then came on top of me and tried to hit me on the face.

“He also tried to reach for my privates but I held his hands firm because I knew I was immobilised. He tried to strangle me and only the intervention of three men saved me.

“After realising that I could not stand up, he then fled in a silver Mercedes Benz,” Nyandoro added.

“We are going to make a police report, but we could not rush to the police before I received medical attention.

“In the same vein, I have not told the president (Mujuru) because what is important is first to get attention from doctors,” he said.

On his part, Mawarire was quick to issue a press statement in which he claimed that Nyandoro had no mandate to speak on behalf of the party.

Curiously too, he did not mention his public altercation with his colleague.

“It should be noted that...Nyandoro is...Mujuru’s spokesperson and his duties do not include speaking on behalf of the party.

“Although, as a senior party member . . . Nyandoro is aware of the party position on different issues, his brief as presidential spokesperson does not include speaking on behalf of the party.

“The National People’s Party, as we have previously stated, is committed to working with all democratic parties but would not be dragged into joining the (President Robert) Mugabe initiated and Didymus Mutasa broadcasted, coalition leader endorsement mantra (sic) which seeks to anoint a leader outside a proper, democratic and people- driven process,” Mawarire thundered.

When the Daily News tried to reach him to hear his version of his altercation with Nyandoro, he was not picking up his phone.

But earlier in the week, Mawarire had rattled the NPP’s prospective coalition partners within the opposition after he slammed what he termed desperation, ostensibly on Tsvangirai’s part to have him endorsed as the leader of the planned coalition.

“The desperation to have Tsvangirai as the coalition leader is manifest in some contrived and funny endorsements by politically tainted people like (Zimbabwe People First elder Didymus) Mutasa who, only yesterday, were fighting tooth and nail to stall any progress that we were making to ensure an MoU (memorandum of understanding) between our parties was signed.

“It should, however, be made abundantly clear that Mujuru and NPP are amenable to a coalition but we are against individuals who are so power drunk to the extent of wanting to be endorsed by questionable characters who have no political party, have a dirty and murderous past and are known now for their desperate attempts at getting back to good terms with Mugabe,” Mawarire said in his ill-conceived statement.

“It is imperative that political parties form a coalition but it is politically dangerous to have characters that are so desperate to lead the coalition that they don’t want a democratic process to select the leader of the coalition.

“We don’t want leaders who are so power drunk that they would turn a Nera (The National Electoral Reform Agenda) platform into an endorsement pedestal even from people that we know are working with the ruling party to foil any prospects of the opposition going into the next election as a united front,” he added, in the injudicious reaction to the ringing endorsements that Tsvangirai had received from other opposition leaders.

It was these reckless statements which Nyandoro subsequently repudiated and which sparked yesterday’s ugly public brawl.

The Daily News was not able to speak to Mujuru — who has suffered a string of political misfortunes, including working with many flawed characters around her over the past few months — before going to Press.

Comments (15)

We all know that this is mugabe's plan to try and confuse the public, you, gumbo, mutasa, mujuru are all mugabe's puppets working for zanu. We have said it before that MDC T does not need to team up with anyone to defeat zanu so manyangira yaona.

misty - 31 March 2017

This was a very unfortunate incident, they should have find another way of resolving their differences than engaging in public fight. However I have been following the reporting of Fungi Kwaramba, she seems to have been bribed by Didmus Mutasa and Rugare Gumbo. If two members of the party fights does that mean the Mujuru's party is struggling. If Didmus Mutasa says we endorse Tsvangirayi, does it mean all opposition parties have endorsed him. Truly speaking if you look the endorsements were done by desperate people who does not have a following.

Is this the same Mawarire who concorted with Zanu PF to have the courts force the July 31st 2015 elections? Are there no better people in Zimbabwe than these immoral, unprincipled ship-jumping chancers?? God help us all!!!

Jonso - 31 March 2017

Mawarire remains right whatsoever -if Tsvangirai is nominated for so called coalition leadership the purported effort-that of defeating Mugabe& nation at large will loose in two fronts:- 1) Tsvangirai has a tradition of endless defeats by Mugabe since the formation of the MDC in 1999, a clear warning that the largest section of zim electorate do not support Tsvangirai presidency,where his nikuv rigging explanations & political level plane complains seem only political rhetorics;therefor not convincing.2) Tvangirai himself is not democratic but a notorious power hungry maniac - his colleagues Bunnet & Mangoma asked him to give way for others & he refused- a clear sign that he can not accept n settlement without him at the top.It hard again to imagine that Mujuru can lead the so called coalition taking into consideration of her failure at the ZIMPF ,no one can actually b trusted to run a nation with all the complexities& tasks, when u fail to run a small political party.We pray&hope that our nation adjust to some clear minds within our political landscape

addmore Gudo - 31 March 2017

Three days here i said that Jealous is a CIO that he was Jealous of Morgan now HINI lo ? If Mujuru is to be taken serious just fire the bastard . Any political party that is going to have Jealous in it is headed for danger and death . MDC T does not any coalion to remove a zanu that has four factions zanu G40 lacoste Mjujuru and zanu Mutasa . You all remember how this guy was sent by zanu to force the nation to go into elections through bogus zanu court ruling in 2013 .He is up to no good can all opposition parties quarantine this guy he is poison to our democracy .

Diibulaanyika - 31 March 2017

Vana Gudo vanomboita nezveiko vasingazive zvekutaura.Hapana munhu asingazive Tsvangirai,, that man is not a power hungry man. He is a true leader with no blood in his hands.Tsvangirai promotes peace,only dumb&foolish people can not see the qualities Tsvangirai has.ZANU is evil& its not the easy especially when u dealing with evil spirits.& remember Tsvangirai can not do it alone,,he need full support from Zimbabweans.

Matsotsi - 1 April 2017

Our nation has nothing to gain fr such foolish elements of the calibre of Matsotsi who think grooming dictators can save our nation fr total collapse.Their kind are the same like the likes of Muchinguri katsande,Mupofu, Mandi Chimene & the rest of those who once bn & are still by now zanu pf praise singers of Mugabe who created this present urggly Mugabe scenario,whichz now costing for the nation,where our people are now struggling to retire this old man who is now doing more harm than good to the nation.Now these people think creating another dictactor works.Tsvangirai is a bad man,he destroyed MDC when hijacked the struggle to b personal & sent Sibanda,Ncube ,Bunnet,etc away in disgust bec of his leadership styles.He took all the work the opposition had worked for bec the works were attached to his name-now is proving another dictator.That party never belonged to n one person-he shld hv accepted to give way for others in a democratic institution

addmore Gudo - 1 April 2017

Matsosi is not a bobojan that is why he thinks that way and those who are not bobjaans see the same way as him .. In zim we have one dictator and it is Mugabe Lobati .

Diibulaanyika - 1 April 2017

These guys must first attend a reformation camp before they qualify to be called progressive democrats. The zanu blood is still running inside their system to be sober.

Regalia - 1 April 2017

There are many, many exceptionally capable and bright people within and heading the various opposition parties. It would be good to have these people working together. Zimbabwe is in a mess, and it requires all these people (and ZANU-PF) to work together.

david taylor - 1 April 2017

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